Rod weeder bearing shoe



July 11, 1950 c. c. CALKINS 2,514,442

ROD WEEDER BEARING SHOE Filed NOV. 12, 1946 INVENTOR CLAUDE C. CALKINS BY v Patented July 11, 1950 ROD-WEEDER BEARING SHOE:

Glaude-v 0,. .Qalkins, Spokane, Wash, .assignor to Galkins Manufacturing Company, Spokane,

Wash.

ApplicationNbvembcr 12, 1946, Serialhlmfilltidil 6 Claims. (Clf. 9.7'42) The present invention relates to. certain new and useful improvements in. a, rod. weeder hearing shoe of the sheet: steel. type having a, removable bearing, block again-st which the conventional bearing: spool turns, and is particularly directed to a structural arrangement of the partsso that the sheet. steel bearing shoe and its bearing block and the bearing spool therein. are all. held in assembled position by one of the bolts: which. also holds the bearing shoe to the gooseneckv standard conventionally used .on rotary rod weeders.

In a rotary .rod weeder, the square rotary rod is supported under the surface of the soil by means of three or four .gooseneck standards which are. laterally spaced apart and extend downwardly from the weederframe, and the lower end of each gooseneck is provided. with a penetrating shoe. having a removable bearing block in which turns the conventional, bearing spool through which the square weeding rod passes in all of the goosenecks. so as to he bearing supported at spaced. intervals along its length. These. bearings operate in the soil and are constantly subjected to the abrasive elements of the earth, and therefore they readily wear out and' have to. be replaced. It .is highly desirable that these replacements be accomplished with a. minimum of time and. efiort, and this necessitates simplicity of construction. and as few parts as possible.

These bearing shoes were formerly made as castings approximately as thick as the length of the bearing face on the. rotary bearing spool. This thickness of the cast bearing shoe enabled the bearing block to be recessed therein and held in position by such expedients as ledges, shoulders, ribs, bevels, etc. These cast bearing shoes have become obsolete, and it is now general practice to use a sheet steel bearing shoe instead.

These sheet steel bearing shoes are usually only three-eighths or half an inch in thickness and therefore the bearing spool and its bearing block must be considerably longer than the thickness of the sheet steel shoe, which is made flat and therefore there are no shoulders or ledges for retainin the bearing block in position. For this reason it has been the usual practice to use two additional bolts to secure the bearing block to the sheet steel shoe, and no part of the bearing block extends back as far as the first bolt used to attach the shoe to the conventional gooseneck standard. I

The present invention eliminates the need tor the aforesaid two. additional. bolts, used in. prior art sheet steel. shoes, and provides an arcuate bearing block which has a. locking engagement with the shoe, and is retained in position by the forward. bolt used to attach the shoe to the gooseneck standard.

The accompanying drawings. illustrate. the physical embodiment of myinvention.

Fig. 1 shows. a side elevation of the invention.

Fig. 2 isqa central longitudinal. section of the left half of Fig. 1., but showing; the parts; tilted for rotation to the position of disassembly.

Fig. 3 shows the opposite half of, the arcuate bearing block which is, away from the observer in Fig. 2, the two halves. being identical.

Fig. 4 is a perspective. view of the arcuate bearing. block.

According. tomy invention, the bearing shoe S, is stamped item a piece of sheet steel, which is; sheared obliquely to form a pointed end P. The opposite end has longitudinal lips such as L.-.L for embracing the conventional gooseneck standard G upon which bearing shoes of this type areused. A hole H is provided for a bolt by which the shoe is secured to the lower end of the gooseneck in the well known manner. The shoe S is provided with, a large round hole 2 from which a keyhole slot K extends longitudinally towards the aforesaid bolt hole H so thatv a bolt can be passed through the end of this: slot K for bolting the shoe S to the gooseneck, it being standard "practice to. use two bolts for attachin the shoe to the gooseneck. It willv of. course be understood that all such shoes necessarily operate edgewise.

Loosely fitting within the aforesaid round hole .2, is :an arcuate bearing block B which is of sufficient length to extend laterally on each side of the-shoe. This bearing block is made as a castingand has a tongue 'I. which extends radially outward and loosely fits longitudinally in the aforesaid-keyhole slot K and is short enough to leave room tor a bolt to pass laterally through the end of this slot. Laterally of this. tongue and integral therewith, is an arcuate flange 4 which seats-against the side face of the shoe s to limit the endthrust on this hearing block B which is also provided with a pair of lugs 3-4 which extend diametrically outward. on the other side. .of this shoe 5 and limit the end thrust of the bearing block in the. opposite direction. The. arcuate flange. 43 is slightly less than a semicircle and is consequently above the diameter of the bearing block B while the lugs :3-. 3, --exten.d slightly below the diameterof the bearing block, and being situated on the end opposite the arcuate flange 4 there is room between this flange and the lugs to accommodate the thickness of the shoe S when the bearing block is tilted in the manner shown in Fig. 2.

The inside of this bearin block has a semicircular bearing surface 5 which fits the conventional bearing spool X, and this bearing surface 5 is decentered with relation to the outer periphery of the bearing block, so that the bearing spool fits loosely between this bearing surface 5 and the lower edge of the hole 2. In operation, the shoe 8 sets at an angle and the bearing spool is urged rearwardly upwards, and con-' sequently the wear is all in that direction and there is absolutely no need for bearing faces in the opposite direction which is preferably left open for the escape of earth which would other wise pack into the bearing so tightly as to render it inoperatable. Bearings of this kind are never lubricated, and a loose flt is required to enable the bearing to constantly free itself of earth.

To enable these bearing spools to efficiently clear themselves of earth, the flanges thereof Due to the fact that the internal bearing surface 5 is decentered relative to the outer periphery of the arcuate bearing block B, the flange wings W overlap the bearing block B in the manner shown in Fig. 1, and as this overlapping is the same on both ends of the bearing spool X,

it can not escape from the bearing block B while in assembled position upon the shoe S.

As best seen in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, ramps such as 1-8 are formed by beveling the spurs and the opposite ends of the arcuate bearing block, and this is done so as to preclude any possibility of the flange wings W engaging under the ends of the arcuate bearing block B which would of course interfere with rotation.

When the bearing block B with the bearing spool X therein, is tilted in the manner shown in Fig. 2, the tongue T is then free of the keyhole slot K, and'therefore the bearing block B can be rotated to bring one of the lugs 3 to register with the keyhole slot K, whereupon this lug can then be rotated out through the keyhole slot along with the bearing spool. It is not necessary that the keyhole slot K be as wide as the flange wing W, because when the parts are tilted to this position, and rotated a quarter turn, the lug 3 and flange wing W are presented somewhat edgewise when they arrive at the keyhole slot K and therefore they can readily pass therethrough even though this keyhole slot is not as wide as the flange wings W. It should also be pointed out that whichever flange wing is nearest the tongue T will of necessity clear the hole 2 when the parts are further tilted at this quarter turn, whereupon the bearing spool X and the bearing block B can readily be removed from the shoe S. As shown at 6, this arcuate bearing block B is beveled adjacent the tongue T so as to accommodate the described tilting action when this hearing block has a fairly closeflt in the hole 2.

' In assembling the device, the bearing spool X is positioned within the arcuate bearing block B, and two of the flange wings W are inserted through the hole 2 along with one of the lugs 3, the other lug 3 and a third wing are then rotated through the keyhole slot K which thereupon brings the fourth wing through the hole 2, and the bearing block B is then rotated to bring the tongueT into register with the keyhole slot K, whereupon the bearing spool X and the arcuate bearing block B can then be tilted into their normal position relative to the shoe S, with the tongue T longitudinally disposed in the keyhole slot 2. In this relationship, the shoe can be bolted to the gooseneck standard conventionally used on rotary rod weeders, and the tongue T will be retained in position by the head of the bolt which passes laterally through the end of the keyhole slot K and through the front end of the gooseneck standard, a second bolt being passed through the hole H and through the gooseneck standard to securely hold the shoe S in position. 'There is no need for the tongue 'I to be tightly held, and-it is usually of less thickness than the shoe S so as to be free of any clamp action from the bolt used to clamp the shoe S to the end of the gooseneck. This loose fit is desirable because it compensates for imperfections of manufacture which are always to be expected in small castings such as these bearing blocks B and bearing spools X, which are used without any machining whatever. Thus, the bearing block B will have a rattle fit when the shoe S is securely clamped to the gooseneck standard of the rod weeder, and likewise the bearing spool X has a rattle fit within the bearing block B, so that these parts can readily accommodate themselves to the usual imperfections of manu facture.

The bearing spool X with its four-winged flanges on each end, has long been. widely known and was shown in Fig. 4 of my own Patent No. 1,840,617; however, if desired, two of these wings may be omitted from each flange leaving only two diametrically disposed flange wings which may be correspondingly wider, as has long been widespread practice, and is shown at 3 inFig. 1 and Fig. 5 of Patent No. 1,902,897 and in various other patents. With a two-Wing spool, one wing clears the hole 2 when the parts are tilted out at the quarter turn, exactly the same as hereinbefore described, and the diametrically opposite wing will pass through the keyhole slot K when the lug 3 is rotated out in the same manner as hereinbefore described.

The invention is also operatable with a spool having a solid flange provided the diameter of the'flange does not exceed the diameter of that portion of the arcuate bearing block which fits inside the hole 2.- That is to say that a solid flange must be slightly smaller than thehole 2, but a four-winged flange can have a diameter slightly larger than the hole 2, and still pass quite readily therethrough.

The describedinserting and removal of the bearing spool and arcuate bearing block, is the usual mode, but these parts can also be assembled and disassembled in other ways. As for instance, the bearingspool X maybe placed in the hole 2; and then the arcuate bearing block B can'be saddled over the bearing spool with one of the spurs 3 registering with the keyhole slot K and the other spur not yet through the hole'2, then this partial assembly can be tilted so that the one spur passes through the keyhole slot K whereupon the tilted parts can then be rotated to bring the other spur into register with the keyhole slot K, and then that spur can be passed through to the other side, and the arcuate bearing block B can then be rotated to locate the tongue T in its final position in the keyhole slot K. This mode of assembly is also of particular advantage with a bearing spool having solid flanges, and can also be used with the described two-winged flanges, as well as with the four-winged flanges, all three of these types of bearing spools being in widespread general use.

I claim as my invention:

1. A rod weeder bearing shoe comprising a plate of sheet steel pointed at one end and having a round hole with a keyhole slot extending oppositely from said pointed end, an arcuate bearing block disposed in said round hole and laterally extending on opposite sides of said shoe, a pair of diametrically disposed lugs on said bearing block for limiting the end thrust thereof in one direction, an arcuate flange on said bearing block for limiting its end thrust in the opposite direction, said bearing block having a radially extending tongue for engaging in said keyhole slot when said flange seats against the side of said shoe, said bearing block having an internal bearing surface decentered in a direction opposite said tongue, a rotary rod bearing spool engaging said bearing surface, said spool having flanges on its opposite ends for limiting the end thrust thereof, said spool and said arcuate bearing block being tiltable within said shoe so as to free said tongue from said keyhole slot and enable one of said lugs to be rotated to the position of said keyhole slot so as to be removed therethrough, said tongue terminating at a spaced distance from the end of said keyhole slot so as to accommodate a bolt for holding the aforesaid parts in assembled relation upon a gooseneck standard of a rotary rod weeder.

2. A rod weeder bearing shoe comprising a plate of sheet steel pointed at one end and having a round hole with a keyhole slot extending oppositely from said pointed end, an arcuate bearing block disposed in said round hole and laterally extending on opposite sides of said shoe, a pair of diametrically disposed lugs on said bearing block for limiting the end thrust thereof in one direction, an arcuate flange on said bearing block for limiting its end thrust in the opposite direction, said bearing block having a radially extending tongue for engaging in said keyhole slot when said flange seats against the side of said shoe, said tongue terminating at a spaced distance from the end of said keyhole slot so as to accommodate a bolt for holding said shoe and bearing block in assembled relation upon a gooseneck standard of a rotary rod weeder.

3. A rod weeder bearing shoe comprising a plate of sheet steel pointed at one end and having a round hole with a keyhole slot extending oppositely from said pointed end, an arcuate bearing block disposed in said round hole and laterally extending on opposite sides of said shoe, said bearing block having a radially extending tongue for engaging in said keyhole slot, said bearing block having an internal bearing surface decentered in a direction opposite said tongue, a rotary rod bearing spool engaging said bearing surface, said spool having flanges on its opposite ends for limiting the end thrust thereof, said tongue terminating at a spaced distance from the end of said keyhole slot to thereby accommodate a bolt for holding the aforesaid parts in assembled relation upon a gooseneck standard of a rotary rod weeder.

4. In a rod weeder bearing shoe, a bearing block comprising a semi-circular casting having a pair of lugs extending diametrically outward from one end thereof, an arcuate flange on the other end of said bearing block, a tongue adjacent the inner Wall of said flange and extending radially outward therefrom, and ramps formed on said lugs and on the opposite face of said bearing block.

5. In a rod weeder bearing shoe, a bearing block comprising asemi-circular casting having a pair of lugs extending diametrically outward from one end thereof, an arcuate flange on the other end of said bearing block, a tongue adjacent the inner wall of said flange and extending radially outward therefrom, and an arcuate bevel adjacent said tongue.

6. In a rod weeder bearing shoe,'a bearing block comprising a semi-circular casting having a pair of lugs extending diametrically outward from one end thereof, an arcuate flange on the other end of said bearing block, a tongue adjacent the inner wall of said flange and extending radially outward therefrom, and an arcuate bearing surface on the inside of said bearing block.

CLAUDE C. CALKINS.

No references cited. 

